This invention relates to an apparatus for assembling signatures such as book signatures, which are transversely cut from a continuous band, into partial inner books, and for depositing the inner partial books assembled from the signatures. The apparatus is operative for laying two different or differently oriented ones of such partial inner books alternately one upon the other.
I have previously developed apparatus for assembling and depositing signatures in which signatures can be assembled in input compartments formed between the generally radially projecting vanes of an impeller wheel that is driven synchronically with the signature assembly cycle. The assembled signatures can then be ejected from the impeller wheel compartments onto a removal means. In my previously developed apparatus, the impeller wheel vanes are mounted for pivoting movement about respective axes that extend parallel to the impeller wheel axis. During regular rotary movement of the impeller wheel, the independent pivoting of the vane associated with the compartment to be loaded is controllable to provide a phase of relatively slow vane pivoting movement to extend the time during which the vane resides in the assembly angle region, and subsequently to provide a phase of quicker vane pivotal movement to move the vane more quickly to the output position, followed by return of the vane to the initial input position.
By means of such an apparatus, it is possible only to assemble signatures and deposit them identically. However, in the case of many book printing operations, tow differently oriented partial inner books are made up from an assembly of signatures, half of the partial inner books being inverted with respect to the remainder, and a pair of the relatively inverted partial inner books are laid one upon the other in order to form a complete inner book comprised of multiple complete sets of collated book pages, two sets for example, which then may be cut apart. A longitudinal cut across the pair of relatively inverted partial inner books thus produces two complete inner books.
For this sort of book printing operation, it has been necessary to provide special purpose inverting devices such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,904, to be arranged in conjunction with the signature assembly device. This generally entails considerable additional construction and equipment costs for the installation and, in all events, additional space requirements.